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Here in California, we’ve had a scorcher of a summer. I’ve taken my mind off the heat in my two favorite ways—writing about winter and preparing light, refreshing recipes that don’t require me to turn on the oven. This shrimp salad is always a huge hit with my family.

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Spicy Shrimp Salad with Mango and Lime

Ingredients

1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced

1 clove garlic

Kosher salt

Juice of 2 limes

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 1/4 lbs cooked medium shrimp, peeled

1 ripe mango, peeled/pitted/diced

1 15-oz can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 head romaine lettuce, torn

Large handful cilantro, chopped

1 cup cherry tomatoes

Directions

1. Soak onion in cold water while you prepare the rest of the salad.

2. Smash the garlic. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt, and with the flat side of a large knife, mash and smear the mixture to a coarse paste. Transfer to a large serving bowl.

3. Add lime juice, 2 teaspoons salt, and the chili powder. Gradually whisk in the olive oil, starting with a few drops and then adding the rest in a steady stream to make a dressing.

4. Toss the shrimp in the dressing.

5. Add mango, beans, lettuce, cilantro, and cherry tomatoes to the bowl. Drain and dry the onion, and scatter over the salad. Gently toss the salad together and serve.

Notes: Serves 4.

Life hasn’t turned out like Connor McClure hoped. His relationship is over, he lost his friends in the break-up, and nothing makes him happy anymore. All he wants is to hide from the world, but the only place available to him is his parents’ home in the rural Michigan community he abandoned thirteen years ago. And since his parents are in Florida for the winter, he’ll have the whole house to himself.

Except he doesn’t. In their absence, the McClures asked a young neighbor to look after the property. Jerry is young, energetic, and—oh yeah—gay. From everything he’s learned about Connor, he might be harboring a little crush, but Connor is in no place for dating. Right now, he needs a friend, someone to help him remember that second chances are always possible...and Jerry is more than willing to step in and help...